


You're Such A Girl Merlin

by I_ran_out_of_books



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Boys Kissing, Canon Era, First Kiss, Fluff, Love Confessions, M/M, Oblivious Merlin, Pining Arthur, Sweet Merlin, Sweet/Hot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-24
Updated: 2018-11-24
Packaged: 2019-08-28 21:28:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16730973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/I_ran_out_of_books/pseuds/I_ran_out_of_books
Summary: Merlin has a very big heart and a dislike for dirt and that means he's what Arthur calls a giant girl. However, all of this makes Arthur melt, which he reluctantly realizes with the help of an injured butterfly one day after a hard patrol around the kingdom.(No butterflies were harmed in the making of this fic.)





	You're Such A Girl Merlin

**Author's Note:**

> I like to think that Merlin does sweet things like this all the time and it makes Arthur a soft sappy mess.

The quiet gurgling of the nearby stream soothed the ears of one very tired party of knights and their servant. Just that morning Prince Arthur, his servant Merlin, and three of his most trusted knights; Leon, Gwaine, and Elyan had left the castle for their designated patrol. They rode their horses with stealth and vigilance ... and one or two coughs more than appropriate from Merlin (the useless buffoon), on the look out for any suspicious activity in the perimeter of their kingdom.

It had seemed that all would be fine until the last hour of their patrol when Merlin stopped his babbling and put a finger up to indicate everyone should be silent and listen. Arthur had been on the verge of telling him off for giving orders to the prince when he too heard an unnatural rustling in the bushes. The men straightened their horses into formation just as a hoard of bandits seemed to pour out from every bush and boulder around them. All in all there seemed to be about ten men and only four of them (Arthur didn't count Merlin as help). The horses began to buck at the roaring of the bandits attack and the knights hopped off and into the battle with war cries of their own and slashing swords. In the end it wasn't much of a battle at all; the bandits clearly hadn't thought this through. With each of them being about as useless with a sword as Merlin and two getting mysteriously lobbed in the head with a branch, it only took a few well placed thrusts of a sword and a bit of wrestling for the bandits to realize they were in over their heads. They dispersed like flies being shooed from one of cooks pies. That is all except for the two passed out under a tree branch. Arthur decided a good knock on the head was punishment enough for low level criminals such as them and left them for what he deemed a much better quest. 

"Merlin you can stop hiding now," Arthur teased as he searched the surrounding trees. Merlin always hid behind the trees, he was predictable like that. For a second there was no answer and Arthur's heart skipped a beat but then an adequately annoyed voice rang out and put a smile on his face. 

"I was NOT hiding Arthur, I was simply waiting until you finished showing off," Merlin said with an infuriating smirk on his lips. 

"I don't show off. I simply fight, that's what men who don't behave like girls do." 

"Well at the expense of sounding like a girl," Gwaine chimed in "The horses are gone, I'm exhausted from riding all day ... and we're all covered in mud and blood." 

At this Arthur remembered his men, and turning to look at them and himself he realized Gwaine was right despite a few exaggerations. They were caked with dirt in different spots and had little splashes of crimson on their dirtied chain mail. Although healthy, his knights did look absolutely knackered. Merlin then piped up "There's a stream a little ways from here. We can wash off there and have a drink." 

"Yes," Arthur agreed a little too quickly if the quirk of Merlin's eyebrow was anything to go by. 

"Finally taking Merlin's good advice?" Elyan provided (not so) helpfully and he saw the other knights hiding smiles that looked a little too knowing for his taste. 

Arthur snorted and with a regal tilting of his chin he said, "Never. But I don't wish to hear Merlin's whining about getting his hair dirty." This caused a wave of chuckles as they all began to walk and one 'hmph' from a frowning young man, which Arthur did NOT think was adorable. "That was ONE TIME!" Merlin yelled and at once everyone burst into loud peels of laughter as they made their journey to rest. 

Eventually they arrived and each broke off to tend to their own needs. Arthur yanked his gloves off and dipped his aching hands into cool flowing water. With a sigh he took his boots off and dipped his feet. He watched Leon and Gwaine sloppily drink from their hands while Elyan rubbed muck off his face. When he didn't see Merlin he began to get up, only to catch sight of him a few feet further down the stream. Arthur knew that getting so worked up over Merlin was ... different than the way he usually felt about his fellow men. They were such good friends, Arthur argued with himself, it only made sense that he would be concerned for Merlin's safety. Besides, Arthur was not so insecure as to not to be able to admit when another man was aesthetically pleasing, which Merlin very much was (not that he'd ever admit it to the man himself). 

Arthur's train of thought veered off as he watched Merlin's brows crease in concentration on something near the stream. Merlin knelt down and his tall frame hunched over to get closer. Slender fingers reached out to touch something tenderly and then gently place it onto a large palm. Arthur could see the paper thin wings of a yellow butterfly sluggishly flapping and then falling to the side. It must have ventured too closely to the stream and got its wings wet, lucky for it Merlin the sap could never leave it to be carried away by the stream when it rose or be eaten by a curious animal. 

Arthur removed his feet from the stream and walked with dripping feet across the grass to Merlin. "What are you doing?" He asked curiously looking over Merlin's bony shoulder. To the prince's surprise Merlin didn't startle instead he softly lifted his palm and displayed the butterfly as if it were a special jewel that must be handled with care. "He's not doing so well ... are you buddy?" Merlin spoke half to the prince and half to the butterfly. He stood at once and with a slow pace started to search for something, but for what Arthur had no clue. As his gaze sussed out what he was looking for he caressed one of the wings with a surprising amount of affection, well surprising if he were anyone but Merlin. "Don't worry we'll get you all patched up. You'll be flying before you know it!" He said cheerily as his eyes landed on the perfect spot. 

With determination Merlin began to walk toward a gap in the canopy where a thin orange tree shrouded in sunlight stood. "Merlin, did one of the bandits hit you over the head? You're covered in dirt, and dehydrated. The last thing you need to do is sit in direct sun light talking to insects until you get heat stroke and die." Arthur barked out in exasperation. "Well sire, I never knew you cared." Merlin called back to him and Arthur swore he could hear a smirk in his voice. That comment effectively shut the prince up and so he watched from a distance as Merlin reached up to pluck an orange from a thin branch. Arthur felt warmth fill his chest at the sight of Merlin settling down against the rough trunk of the tree and mumbling assurances to the poor butterfly. 

Only a fool risks his own hide to help out a worm with wings, Arthur thought. He knew that from his lessons as a child with Uther. "Arthur are you listening to me?" he'd said when he caught Arthur looking down at a lady bug that had landed on his hand while they rode on horseback through the forest. His father was teaching him to hunt after one of the knights informed him Arthur had cried on his first hunt when he had to kill a rabbit, he was five then.

"Yes father, but look! This poor little lady bug, one of it's wings has been torn," he informed his father lifting his hand so Uther could see. There was a softness in his fathers eyes Arthur knew was only reserved for him, but there was disapproval there too. 

"This is your problem Arthur," he spoke quietly but sternly "You have too much compassion. While you were looking at that lady bug you were distracted from your task. Animals and insects are an inferior species, you should pay them no mind. They are for eating and the ones who you cannot eat serve no purpose or present a danger. Get rid of it and focus, we must find something of substance for dinner tonight." And so Arthur had done just that. He steeled himself and with a deep breath he flicked the lady bug off his arm and lifted his chin high. His father had smiled then. 

Merlin had peeled the orange now but instead of eating it he placed a couple segments onto the peels on the floor. Now Arthur was completely lost. Leave it to Merlin to fail at eating an orange correctly. He walked with purpose and grumpily took a seat next to Merlin, and maybe it was too close because now his arm was touching Merlin's and he wasn't sure he could focus very well. But the younger man didn't seem to mind or even notice as he carefully set the butterfly down on top of an orange slice. It was then Arthur understood Merlin's objective for the butterfly weakly extended its proboscis and began to suck on the sugary juice of the orange. On cue Merlin spoke up, "It got wet in the stream. Poor little guy must've been there for a while because he was barely hanging on. But here in the sun his wings will dry, and meanwhile he can have some food." Merlin said all this while attentively watching the butterfly drink. Pale fingers tore at the piece of orange left and a plump segment was offered up to Arthur. He took it without a word trying to stop the hitch in his breath when their fingers grazed. 

He wanted to ask Merlin a million questions. He wanted to know if he was an angel and that's why he was so kind and beautiful. These thoughts did not frighten him, that is why he very eloquently said "You're a giant girl, Merlin." He wanted to take the words back as soon as he said them so he did the next best thing and stuffed the orange in his mouth so he couldn't talk anymore. Luckily Merlin was Merlin and so he did not look offended, instead a blinding grin grew on his face as he turned to look at Arthur. "Better than being a dollophead," he chuckled and popped an orange slice into his mouth, orange juice glistening on his pink lips. Those words and that image hit Arthur like a train (if he knew what that was). 

His eyes grew wide and his hands began to sweat. His heart beat so strongly he was sure Merlin could hear it. 

"Gods damnit!" Arthur grunted to himself 

"Arthur?" Merlin said with worry seeping into his voice, "you okay?" The sight of a doting Merlin did not help Arthur at all. 

Arthur tilted his head to the side, his face something suspiciously close to a pout. "I think I just figured out ... I think I have to tell you something ... damn." Merlin's eyebrows lifted in confusion and as he went to open his mouth and say something Arthur decided he would tell Merlin the only way he knew how. He leaned in an captured Merlin's parted lips with his own. A startled groan left Merlin and Arthur decided he couldn't back out now. Turning a little more towards Merlin he pressed further into the kiss and placed his hand on Merlin's neck to keep him in place. It was only for a split second yet it felt like an eternity, but then Merlin was responding to the kiss and the world fell away from under Arthur.

Merlin's neck was soft and grew warmer under Arthur's palm as their small hesitant kiss grew into something slightly inappropriate. Merlin's head was spinning with the smooth slide of Arthur's lips across his own. Arthur's lips. Arthur's tongue. Arthur's hands. They tasted like oranges and something hungry. Arthur pulled back from the kiss with harsh breathing and an attempt at clearing his throat. "The knights..." he tried to articulate, but the sight of Merlin with half lidded eyes and lips red and swollen wiped his mind clean. 

"The knights are right here and a few of us just won a bet," Gwaine said with an evil grin. Leon tried to suppress a smile at the prince's dazed look and Merlin's now flushing cheeks. "Respectfully, Sire ... hurry your snogging along you're still both dirty and the sun will be going down in a few hours. It would be unwise to plan on walking in the dark," Leon added reveling in giving orders while the prince was slightly incapacitated. And it worked because he only got a nod from Arthur before he was pulling a protesting Merlin back in for another kiss. The knights rolled their eyes but walked away with smiles on their faces and plans to look for something to snack on to give the two lovebirds some space. 

Merlin pulled back from yet another dizzying kiss and looked at Arthur, "So you wanted to tell me something?" he panted out. Arthur laughed his glorious laugh, the full one he only gifted to Merlin. "Hmmm yes ... what was it?" he feigned forgetting as he leaned in for slow little kisses that made his stomach do flips, "Ah yes, now I recall ... nothing big really, just that I happen to be in love with you." Merlin's eyes shot up to Arthur's now and the intensity in them made Arthur's breath stop short. Merlin's smile was filled with something beautifully warm as he leaned in to peck at Arthur's lips,"I love you too" he whispered against his mouth and that was it. They connected again with renewed fervor, their mouths working together furiously. The heat of tongues intertwining flourished as Arthur pulled Merlin onto his lap. 

Sometime later when their lips were tinted red and their hair was a complete mess from roaming hands, a prince and a manservant could be found in a soft embrace. Merlin sat straddling Arthur's outstretched legs, Arthur's arms languidly wrapped around his slender hips with their foreheads resting against each other. 

"Look," Merlin spoke softly his eyes on the butterfly he had rescued earlier that day. It flapped it's wings as if testing their weight and realizing they were dry lifted off of its orange and into the air. Its happy little patterns in the air felt like a wink to Arthur who owed this insect the realization of a lifetime. 

"I like butterflies," Arthur said in a matter of fact tone to the surprise of Merlin, "Well at least this one, because it gave me you." 

"Who's the girl now?" Merlin said with way too much affection in his voice for the answer to be Arthur. This set them both off and they laughed until they cried with the joy of newly found love too intense to hold in. The kind that makes everything rose tinted and nothing at all hilarious. And Arthur though that described him and Merlin wonderfully. Yes he could be happy with Merlin, and this time that thought really didn't frighten him at all.


End file.
